What The Heart Wants
by Ilse'sPurpleSummer
Summary: Joanie had it all, until a single meeting with a 22 year old force of nature throws everything out of balance. Chyna/Steph, unrequited feelings and lots of angst. Written for EvilValenStrife.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okies, ladies and gents. This fic was a challenge given to me by the lovely Lauryn, known on here as EvilValenStrife. Go check out her amazing Degrassi fics! Anyway, she asked me to write a fic with Chyna and a partner of my choice. So here it is, a sad story of unrequited love.**

** Title: What the Heart Wants**

** Dedicated to Lauryn 3**

Chyna. That was her name. That was the name she had to be. Joanie was weak. Joanie was pathetic. She let herself be used, over and over. Joanie was ugly, inside and out.

But Chyna... Chyna was strong. Chyna was beautiful. Nothing could touch her. Nothing. Nothing... until HER.

Everything was going swell for Chyna. She was perfectly happy with Paul. The two of them had established and grown a strong relationship, they were at the height of popularity with DX. Shawn was still messed up on pills and booze and Bret, but they handled it as a couple. It was almost like Shawn was their kid. They picked him up from bars and hotels that weren't the ones he was staying at, listened to him bitch about Sunny one moment and cry about how he just wanted Bret to like him the next. If anything, this only made her and Paul's relationship stronger. She knew how much he appreciated her helping him take care of Shawn, and he knew she was in it for the long haul.

Then Shawn got his back injury and everything went to hell. At the same time, news made it's way around backstage that Vince's daughter was going to be on TV, pretending to date Test. There would be a big white wedding that would get interrupted by someone. That someone would be Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Chyna wasn't terribly thrilled at the idea, but she trusted Paul. That is, until she met Stephanie.

She and Paul were standing backstage, talking to Bradshaw when Vince marched over, a young girl by his side.

"Joanie, Paul, this is my daughter, Stephanie," he rumbled. Chyna looked at the girl, and suddenly Joanie felt the walls begin to crumble.

Stephanie McMahon wasn't spectacularly beautiful. She was a cute girl, barely an adult, but you could see that she would only get prettier as she grew older. But it wasn't her looks that drew your attention. It was something Joanie couldn't quite put her finger on. Some kind of inner light, burning passion. It seemed to draw in those around her, everyone seemed to bask in the warm glow that surrounded her. Joanie saw the way Stephanie's eyes lingered on Paul and she knew. She just knew this girl would tear her world to pieces. She just didn't know until much later how right she was.

***WTHW***

As the months went on, they split Hunter and Chyna up to set the stage for what would become the McMahon-Helmsley era. Chyna was instead placed with Eddie Guerrero. Joanie and Paul were still together, but they had begun fighting. Without Shawn there to distract, their problems began to rise to the surface. Joanie grew more and more anxious about the amount of time Paul spent with Stephanie, rehearsing their scenes over and over until they were perfect. She grew close to Eddie, finding in him a true friend, someone she could voice her concerns to.

"What is it that makes you so nervous, muñeca?" he asked her one day. She thought carefully before speaking.

"Just... look at her, Eddie. Look at her, and tell me you wouldn't fall in love with her if you had the chance." Eddie gave her a thoughtful look, but she was too lost in thought to try and decode it.

Three months later, she found the love letters from Stephanie. She was angry. She probably should've realized there was something wrong when she was angry not at Stephanie, but at Paul. Not for cheating, but for leading Stephanie on while in a relationship with her. How could he do that to such an angel as Stephanie? When she broke up with him, her last words to him were "treat her right. She deserves better than you, but she wants you anyway."

***WTHW***

Eddie held her while she cried, stroking her hair while his wife Vickie rubbed her back gently.

"How could he do that to her, I don't understand," she whimpered. Eddie and Vickie exchanged glances over her head, concern in their eyes.

"Listen, muñeca, I think maybe you need to think about why you're so upset about Paul hurting Stephanie, and not that he hurt you," Eddie said softly.

"What do you mean?" Joanie said, sniffling.

"Well, querida, you haven't once said that he's hurt you. You seem mostly concerned about Stephanie," Vickie said.

"Well, yeah," Joanie said, sitting up. "Steph is amazing. If he ruins her, I'll kill him." Eddie sighed.

"No, cariña," he said softly. "WHY is she so important to you?"

"Because I love her!" Joanie exclaimed. Then she froze. Vickie smiled and Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. "I love her," Joanie repeated slowly.

"We know, querida," Eddie said. "We've known for a while now."

"Well, now you can understand, right?" Joanie asked. "How can I be angry at Paul for loving her? I love her too."

***WTHW***

Instead of breaking her, this realization gave Joanie some peace. She kept a close eye on Paul and Stephanie, but for the most part she kept to herself. She roomed with Eddie on the road, and called Vickie when she just needed to talk. Feeling that there was nothing left for her to do in WWE, she left the company in 2001. Before she left, she passed the torch to Amy Dumas, the only woman she considered worthy of carrying the women's division. She moved to LA, on the beach, feeling it would give her some peace to live near the ocean. She settled into a routine of gym, meditation, and long walks on the beach. She went out sometimes, but mostly kept to herself. She began to accept that it was okay to be just Joanie.

Two years after she left, she rushed to answer her doorbell and got the hugest shock of her life. Stephanie McMahon was standing on her front porch. After a moment of sheer shock, Joanie invited her inside. Stephanie politely declined Joanie's offer of a drink and sat on the couch, fidgeting nervously.

"Listen, Joanie... I came to tell you that Paul asked me to marry him. I love him, so I said yes. I guess... I just wanted you to hear it directly from me, instead of through the grape vine," she finally said. Joanie looked at her carefully, she seemed completely genuine.

"Thank you," she told Stephanie softly. "I really appreciate that, more than you know." She stood next to the couch. "I knew, from the moment Paul and I met you, that this is how things would end up," she said honestly. "And if you're happy, then I'm truly happy for you both." A relieved smile broke across Stephanie's face at her words. She stood and wrapped her arms around Joanie's neck, hugging her tightly. Joanie wrapped her arms around Stephanie's waist, breathing in and out three times before releasing her. After a few more minutes of small talk, she walked Stephanie to the door.

"Listen, you tell Paul that I'm really happy for you guys," she said. "Tell him... Tell him he better treat you special, like you deserve." Steph smiled, squeezed her hand, and left. Joanie closed the door behind her. So Paul got the girl, and Joanie got a hug. She wanted to be angry and bitter, but the look on Stephanie's face when she'd said she loved Paul had been pure joy. And as long as Stephanie was happy, that was enough for Joanie.

**A/N: Holy grilled cheesus, that was hard. My Lauryn always gives me a good challenge. I hope I did a good job writing this. And I really hope Lauryn likes it!**


	2. NOTICE!

Just a small announcement for anyone who follwed this story, part two is up, it's called "Refuse to Lose Heart." You can find it on my page.

Hearts and kisses,

Emma


End file.
